Ever since President Mohamed Nasheed came into power in 2008 and gave a ministry to the Wahhabi Adhaalath Party, a member of its coalition, intolerance, misogyny and pro-child abuse propaganda been spreading openly in the name of Islam, most of it by the Islamic ministry itself.

In an episode of their daily TV show Thedhu Magu (The Righteous Path), the Islamic minister Bari has categorically stated that Islam required girls to help their mothers in domestic chores so that they can be moulded to the role of mother in latter life.

"A woman's role," Bari said, "is that of mother."

President Nasheed's government is sponsoring the spread this regressive ideology. For the year 2010, it gave the Islamic ministry 211 million rufiyaa (16.5 million US dollars) which, as blogger naimbe' has pointed out, is fourteen times more than what the Maldives is spending on economic development.

Meanwhile, former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has condemned 'scholars' for misleading the public about Islam. On International Women's Day, Gayoom said Islam promoted gender equality and called on women to join DRP, which he said would not discriminate against them.

2 comments:

You make very good points here. It also reflects of President Nasheed's government when a Ministry under him makes such an ignorant and judgmental statement about citizens of a foreign country, Muslim or otherwise. And giving Islamic Ministry free rein on these matters are not helping at all.

However, you mention former President's remarks condemning these so called scholars, and I totally agree that such statements are much needed in a climate like this when the ruling party is completely spineless on this issue. But rhetoric was something we heard from President Nasheed as well in the beginning. What is more needed now is actions, from the government and all sections of the society rather than just empty words.